Full Circle
by Celsius009
Summary: As Luke's time draws to a close he contemplates everything that his given his life meaning.
1. Reflection

**Chapter 1 of 3**

**I'm currently working on writing a book with a friend so I would take any reviews seriously and be very appreciative of some constructive criticism. Let me know how the different themes across the three chapters feel. Even if you don't have a literary background, I'd still like to hear opinions.**

**Enjoy!  
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><p>Cruel.<p>

Life was. Wasn't it? When he didn't have a purpose, a reason for existing, he had an eternity to wallow in his self loathing. And now...

Now Luke could feel the warm sun as he sat on the green hillside, the lake in the distance shining with light. Slow white clouds drifted lazily across the sky as a bird chirped happily in the distance. Nearby in the shade of a lone tree Anise napped and Jade leaned against the trunk reading a book. A light breeze rustled the leaves, breaking the complete silence of the world as Jade turned a page. He remembered Jade being the first person to approach him about his condition.

"_Don't suppose you'll be able to raise me like those other bodies huh?" Luke joked, but still looked to the man with a look of faint hope._

_Jade simply looked back at him, expression impossible to discern as he shook his head slightly. "Not in a state you'd like. It would be a true mockery of everything you are now. A shattered memory of someone I'd prefer to hold intact." He said very seriously, auburn colored eyes focusing on Luke's._

"_Yeah..." Luke acknowledged, knowing that would be the answer as he made for the inn door. "Thanks anyway, Jade."_

Guy could be spotted down by the lake's edge, walking slowly along the shore with his arms behind his head as he dribbled a small rock ahead of him.

Closing his eyes and listening to the complete quiet of nature again he focused on simply feeling. Sensing. The grass under his fingers, the rough texture... The cool earth underneath. The warmth of the sun penetrating his clothes, layering heat across his body, but never to the point of breaking a sweat. And as soon as it neared uncomfortable the wind would sense it and blow lightly over him, bringing it back to equilibrium.

It was... Amazing. How bizarre, how beautiful, ordered and chaotic the world was. He opened his eyes as another breeze came, this time looking over the grassy hillside and up to the top of the next slope, sighting the most beautiful image he knew would remain in his memory forever.

Tear, standing in a field of flowers so diverse in color and vibrancy her clothes almost appeared black, hair flowing with the wind. It was rare he was able to see her full face without her hair falling back into place and he enjoyed every second of it. She ran an ungloved hand over her ear, tucking a few strands back in place and looked around, breathing in the scent of the petals. His mind wandered as he watched, awestruck by her beauty. Her pale face flickered with a small smile as her large deep blue eyes followed the field to its edge and gazed out over the lake.

He knew how he felt about her. It'd taken him long enough but it was one of the many things he'd realized within the past few weeks. Despite their constant quarreling and how cold and emotionless she seemed at times they were traits he'd learned to admire in her character. They made her, her. The person he felt more strongly about than any other.

And then reality came back to him as he closed his eyes again. Luke was seven years old, and was on his deathbed. He'd squandered the first six years of his life in the manor and spent the better part of the past year being miserable while in the company of the greatest cast of friends anyone in Auldrant could ever hope to have. Only in discovering that he wanted to live when he was in the Tower of Rem did he realize how incredible his life had been, how incredible the world was.

Cruel then, was fate in deciding only after this realization would his life be concluded. He wished he'd been this appreciative of life when he had more time. He wished he _had_ more time. He remembered all his past experiences that in the moment he'd treated as inconvenient or annoying. But now they were all things he doubted he'd ever be able to do again. He was grateful they'd even found this moment to rest on this beautiful day. But he _wanted_ to trek through the river in Cheagle woods, camp in the freezing trails of Mt. Roneal, sweat until his clothes were drenched in the Zaleho volcano, tell Tear how he felt about her... But time it seemed, was something no longer on his side.

And it was precisely for that reason that he would never tell her. He didn't know how she felt about him and he wasn't very gifted with speech. But one thing he did know was how cruel it would be to say those words that yield so much promise ring hollow under the shadow of death.

It was ironic, his entire life he felt he lacked a purpose, a reason to live beyond existing. And only now that he had one would it mark the end of his life. The true reason to live was to live, to enjoy these precious moments in everyday life not wait around for some "purpose" to give it meaning. As simple as a notion as that was it took even an idiot seven years to get it.

But... That was that. Despairing on the past mistakes was the way of his former self. He only had a few days left and he intended to enjoy every seemingly minute second of it. Looking at the big picture now he would prefer to live out these final hours in happiness rather than a lifetime of misery in the manor. Food tasted better when he actually focused on it and not in the action of eating, sensations more intense when he thought about them instead of only looking towards the next activity. Eight years _was_ too short, it was true. But it was the hand he was dealt; he could focus on that or on the people he loved, the amazing world, the life remaining. He hoped his friends lived the rest of their days as he was now. It was never too early to start.

A small smile found its way onto his face as he opened his eyes. When they'd adjusted to the light he saw Tear in the distance, watching him. He smiled at her, happy just to have caught her notice, and her face lit up in return. It was a rare expression to see on her and it made his body feel much warmer than the sun ever could.

There were countless experiences he'd never have, but that wouldn't stop him from enjoying his time left.

_Start with what you can do, right?_

The sound of rustling clothes met his ear and he turned to see Jade beginning to stand, closing his book in one hand. "We've dawdled long enough for today, Noelle should be rested enough to finish the trip. Shall we continue?" He asked pointedly, gesturing towards the top of the hill.

Luke gave a slight nod. "...Right." He answered, smiling and rising to his feet.

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><p><strong>And chapter two has the romance if that's what half of you are waiting for =)<strong>


	2. Unspoken Promise

**Chapter 2 of 3**

**As promised, the subject is romance. This is more of a snapshot than a full relationship build-up because you all know the characters and I didn't feel like flushing out a ten page conversation, but I hope it gets the theme across.**

**Enjoy!  
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><p>The cool ocean air sent chills up Luke's arms as he carried blankets out onto the Albiore's roof. He knew they wouldn't be out here for much longer but wanted her to be comfortable nonetheless. Between the wings of the ship he saw Tear knees drawn up against her chest facing the ocean. Ahead of her in the distance tomorrow's battleground floated ominously before the moon. It was strange how serene and peaceful it appeared now, grand arches silhouetted against the starry night sky. But he forced the thoughts of the battle from his head. Tonight was probably going to be his last, he wanted to enjoy the stars, the ocean, Tear's company...<p>

He stooped, draping the thicker of the two blankets over Tear's slim shoulders. At first she was rigid until she realized what it was, then relaxed and continued looking out over the ocean. "Thank you."

Luke nodded as he sat beside her, bringing his own blanket around him. The waves lapped quietly up against the hull of the craft.

"Tear... I was thinking." Luke started, half expecting a quick comeback to this. But when he looked over he just saw Tear watching him, eyes searching his. He cleared his throat and looked away, "Thank you. For... All this. When I said 'this is the happiest I've been'? I meant that, and I don't think I ever would have learned anything about this world if you hadn't attacked Van in the manor a year ago. It's because of you that I'm here."

She smiled softly. "It's because Van's trying to destroy the world that you're here too. He deserves as much gratitude as me."

Luke shook his head. "That's not what I meant... Not just thank you for me literally being here, but for everything you've taught me and shown me on this journey. And being so patient with me from the start." He looked down at his hands. "Most people wouldn't have given me a second chance. And... I want to let you know how much I appreciate that you did. That you gave me the chance I needed to change." He looked at her, and it was her turn to look down. "I just... Wanted you to know that. Before–"

For the second time that evening she brought a finger to his lips. "Shh..." She whispered, face giving him an encouraging smile but eyes... Sad. "I know." She met his gaze another moment longer before giving an obvious shiver.

"You'll look out for Guy and the rest of them after, right?" Luke asked, looking back to the moon. The question had an obvious answer but... He liked hearing her voice.

The ends of her mouth raised in a slight smile. "While I'm at it I'll explain the value of money to Anise and teach Jade sarcasm." Luke laughed and she continued. "They can all take care of themselves. And Guy would throw a fit if he heard _you_ asking me to look out for him."

"You're probably right." Luke chuckled, bundling himself closer in the blanket. She gave another visible shiver. "Should we head back?" Luke asked, noting how chilly it had become and preparing to stand.

"No, not yet." Tear answered quickly, "But I don't think this blanket is enough..." She remarked pointedly.

Without hesitation Luke took off his blanket and draped it around her shoulders, hairs on his arm rising instantly as they met cool air.

Tear stared at him. "You won't be cold?" She asked slowly, light tint rising in her cheeks.

Luke shook his head unconvincingly. "Nah I should be fine. Who knows if I'll ever have a chance to be cold again." He half joked. In reality he knew what she had hinted at, but had already decided it wasn't a road he was going to go down. In less than twenty-four hours he would be releasing Lorelei, likely using the last of his body's strength. He cared too deeply about Tear to start something as significant as this knowing he would be stripping it away again in less than a day.

She let out a giggle in half amusement, half disbelief at his density. "Luke..." She began, and seeming unable to find an excuse, simply finished "Please come sit with me."

He turned to her, uncertain sea green eyes meeting her hopeful dark blue ones. He'd never heard her make a request of him before. Not once had she ever asked him to do something for her. And it was a simple request, nothing at all like the demands he'd made of her on their journey... He didn't see the harm in it, she simply wanted some warmth he told himself, knowing full well that was a lie he'd invented.

Luke smiled at her, lifting himself off the hull and scooting closer. She moved her arm and brought the blankets around him too, pulling herself closer until they were hip to hip.

He cleared his throat, ignoring the rising heat in his face that came with the sudden warmth next to his body. "So after tomorrow... What do you think you'll be doing?"

"You mean if we survive?" She asked gently testing her head against his shoulder. When he didn't move she fully rested it on him.

"We will. We can't fail." He said seriously, trying to ignore the sweet aroma of her hair so close to his face.

"In that case..." She started playfully and then grew quiet, thinking deeply. "I suppose find my place in our new world." She said, hand finding Luke's arm under the blanket. "The world you shaped, diverging from the Score for the first time in two-thousand years."

"Heh. I think that was more you and Natalia than anyone else in our group." Luke corrected, unsure if he was imagining her pressing closer against him than before. He swallowed. "I just threw things off the rails by being born and getting swept up with the flow of things."

"Don't play innocent." She softly scolded him, lifting her head from his shoulder. "You had as much to do in changing this world as any one of us. More than any one of us – we couldn't have done it without you. _You_ are responsible for the peace and freedom the world will be forced to know in the coming years." The hairs on the back of his neck picked up as her warm breath spoke the next words quietly into his ear. "What was that you said about facing your responsibility?"

He felt the heat rising in his face again and could feel the intensity of her eyes on him. She was facing him, waiting. Less than two inches away. He knew what he was supposed to do, what every fiber in his body wanted to do. All he had to do was turn his head and the girl he cared more about than anything else in the world would know how he felt about her. All he had to do was turn his head and she would know her feelings were reciprocated. All he had to do was turn his head... And destroy her entire hopes and dreams by this time tomorrow.

He closed his eyes, and fighting everything in his body telling him not to, turned his head.

_I... I just can't do that to her... I care about her too damn much._

He opened his eyes, staring out over the ocean. A cool wind blew overhead, ruffling his hair. Beside him he felt Tear sit back in place, quietly withdrawing herself from him. His insides felt horrible, but what he was doing was for the best. To the extent that he knew what love was, he loved Tear. And he would endure what remained of his lifetime of internal guilt if it spared her an ounce of suffering in the future. He would rather she be glad he was gone than be the slightest worse for it.

"Tear..." He muttered, closing his eyes and turning back towards her. He was too much of a coward to look her in the eyes now. "I'm... I'm sorry. But I want you to be happy, and after tomorrow..." He trailed off, opening his eyes but avoiding hers as he picked up again, "I won't be able to do that. I'll be gone. You're an amazing girl Tear. I'm not good with words so I won't try to describe how... How incredible you are. But I want you to live in the world we created, and find happiness there, with someone–!"

He was forcefully cut off as full warm lips pressed against his own, mind hazing over and immediately losing track of whatever he was about to say. He was stunned, unaware of her hand sliding up his chest as she deepened the kiss, pushing him back onto the blanket now under them.

Suddenly all the reason and reservation flooded back into him and he opened his eyes, almost losing himself again as he caught the vision of her delicate face against his, eyes closed as she kissed him. But he focused, breaking the kiss and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Tear!" He exclaimed, looking up at her distraught face. "I – I can't–"

"Shut up." She commanded, stealing his previously most used phrase as she removed his hands from her shoulders and pushing them to the blanket. "Shut up, Luke." She repeated, tears in her eyes as she looked down at him, long hair falling over her shoulders and trailing the edges of his face. "You're so stupid. Don't you get it? There is no one else Luke. There won't be." She explained, losing the calm air of composure she always had, placing one hand on his chest. "There can't be..."

"Tear..." Luke started but she shook her head silencing him, anger rising in her voice and expression. He hadn't seen her this emotional when her own brother was thought to be dead.

"I spend over a year with you, almost every waking moment looking out for you, taking care of you. And then you changed," she said, hand on his chest loosening its grip on his shirt, "You became a man I... I cared for. Kind, and good. And when I realized I might be falling in love with you..." she paused, biting her lip, "You sacrifice yourself for the world."

He opened his mouth with no idea what to say but she continued. "You stupid bastard. After everything I've done for you, and then you do this to me, you will not rob me of this moment." She told him, voice very clear this was not a request. Her voice softened until it sounded like a plea as she shook her head, "I won't let you."

Luke stared up at her, rendered speechless by her outburst. Her fearful eyes watched his for any sign of objection a moment longer. None came. Her hair pushed past his face as she slowly lowered herself to him again, hand sliding over his shoulder.

His mind broke down whatever "reason" remained beyond any hope of recovery as her lips grazed his again, teasing them with their taste before pressing firmly against them a second time.

All he could think of was how impossibly fast his heart was beating, the feeling of her body pressed against his...

He placed his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss with the only woman he could ever love.


	3. Bonus: Everybody Hates Sync

**Bonus Chapter (2.5 of 3)  
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**A oneshot I wrote up on a whim the other day. Figured it could act as a bonus chapter in this fic though. Theme: Humor.**

**Ten brownie points to anyone who gets the meme.  
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><p>"What really? You again?"<p>

Luke scowled up the stairs to where Sync was blocking their way. "Didn't we kill you already? And then you fell into the ocean of toxic sludge for like a month?"

Sync glared back down at him, arms folded. "I may be inferior, but my power is that of the Fon Master." He then launched into a speech about how terrible life was for him and why he was helping Van. To which no one paid particular attention.

"So... His power _isn't_ that of the Fon Master then." Jade noted flatly, watching with an unamused expression of as the young boy gesticulated.

"Maybe he was holding his breath for that month before Van brought him back...?" Natalia offered quietly.

"Well we did see him in Chesedonia that one time. It shouldn't be that surprising we'd find him here..." Anise muttered as she readied her doll for combat.

"I dunno I guess I was just hoping that wasn't _really_ him or something." Luke whispered loudly. "He's so annoying I don't know _why_ anyone would bring him back. He wasn't even that good or exceptional at... Anything really."

"...I'm just empty." The whiny voice from the top of the stairs finished, almost sounding like he was boasting.

"Are you done complaining yet? We really need to go stop Van..." Guy asked starting to make his way up the stairs. The others followed suit but as soon as they reached the top Sync did an unnecessary back-flip away from them. "Oohh watch out, we got a badass over here..." Guy said throwing his arms up mockingly.

"You would know if I unleashed my full power!" Sync declared dramatically, striking an attack pose. "Let's test it: you, or the empty me." He continued, "Let's see which side this world wants to survive!"

Luke stared at him in disbelief. "Dude there are six of us. You can't be serious."

"I think he's serious..." Tear commented, readying her staff.

"Guy you going to be alright fighting a little girl with a preference for getting up close and spamming terrible artes?" Luke asked his friend as he drew his blade from across is waist.

"Yeah I should be fine. Didn't bother me too much last time." Guy played along, drawing his own sword. "If I just think of her as a little boy it's easier."

"How will it feel?" Sync shouted, charging at them, "Fighting someone who looks _just_ like Ion?"

"First of all," Luke grunted, throwing his shoulder into Sync as the slimmer boy tried to slide past him, "Ion was probably the nicest person in the friggin' world, don't compare your douche-bag self to him."

"And secondly," Guy added bringing his scabbard down on Sync's back, causing him to stumble forward off balance, "Maybe if you were less of a complete jackass you might actually have some friends."

"Whatever!" Sync shouted, turning to avoid another swipe from Luke. "I'm tired of this world! Everyone in it can die along–!" But he was cut off as a giant doll paw came from the sky, crushing him into the ground and causing the surrounding stone to break from the impact.

"And thirdly!" Anise screamed from the top of her doll, pushing the paw further into the ground.

"Um, Anise?" Natalia called uncertainly, unknocking her bow.

"Don't make fun of Ion! He was the nicest person in the friggin' world!" Anise continued shouting.

"Anise!" Natalia called a little louder.

"What?" Anise shouted, glaring back at her.

"I think he's dead." Natalia said a little quieter, nodding towards Tokunaga's paw.

Anise looked back at the doll and pulled the paw up, revealing a somewhat flattened Sync lying motionless face down in a Sync-shaped indentation of the stone. "Oh..."

As Anise stepped away Luke Tear and Guy moved closer to inspect the body. A light wind blew by rustling the flattened hair. Guy coughed. After a moment of no movement Tear stepped forward thrusting the end of her staff into Sync's back making a loud _crunch_.

"Tear!" Luke exclaimed pulling her back.

"What?" She asked indignantly at his reaction. "You said yourself you didn't want to fight him again. We need to make sure he won't be coming back."

Luke stared a moment longer then gave a conceding nod with a 'That's true' expression.

They turned back to his body as Natalia joined them. "Do you... Feel kind of bad about that? It sounded like all he wanted was his own meaning..." She muttered looking at the body which now had a deep concave in its back.

The body then burst into flames causing them all to leap away in shock. "What the hell?" Luke asked looking around and seeing Jade moving towards them.

They stared at him. "The battle was over so quickly and everyone else contributed something..." Jade said defensively, "And I had the spell all ready and everything."

"I didn't do anything!" Natalia exclaimed, putting her bow back over her shoulder.

"Oh. Well I suppose you could... Peg the body a few times? Make sure he isn't just a really good actor with an extraordinary tolerance for pain?" Jade offered, pushing his glasses up as the fire began to die down a little.

"No... No we should go and stop Van." Natalia said quickly, covering her mouth and repressing a gag as she moved past the small smouldering crater.

"Yeah I'm with her. This smells terrible." Guy agreed covering his nose with his shirt as he moved past too.

As the others continued into the final chambers Luke drew near Jade. "Hey, I want to apologize."

"Hm?" Jade asked keeping an eye out for further monster attacks.

"There've been a couple times now on this trip when you've told us 'Hey we should kill this person.' and I was like 'No way that's not right.' and then later they come back and become an even bigger pain in the ass than they were in the first place." Luke said in one breath gesturing for their respective characters. "So I wanted to say 'Sorry.' We could have spared ourselves a great deal of annoyance and hardship if we'd just done what you said in the first place."

"I'm touched Luke." Jade said smugly. "I'm glad to know someone out there agrees with me."

Luke nodded but his eyes narrowed as he looked at Jade's uniform. "Oh uh... Jade."

"Yes, Luke?" The older man asked, looking at him this time.

"You've got some... Sync on you." Luke observed, trying to pat away some ash but instead smearing it deeper into Jade's uniform. Jade's expression grew a little less smug as the youth stammered another apology. Luke threw an uncertain thumb over his shoulder, "I'm just gonna...?"

"Yes, please go." Jade dismissed, sighing as he caught a whiff of an ash smear. Luke walked away hurriedly as Jade regretted not bringing his spare uniform to the final battle.


End file.
